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I write fantasy for tweens and teens. I blog about books and writing and occasionally travel and homeschooling.

My world of Aluvia series is with Curiosity Quills Press, and is an upper-middle grade fantasy, well-suited for ages 11-14, though all ages can enjoy it. FAIRY KEEPER, MER-CHARMER and DRAGON REDEEMER each stand-alone but are best read as a series. My fourth book will be releasing with Blaze Publishing this summer, called THE WORST VILLAIN EVER.

This is a family-friendly site. Note: There are some spoilers in a few of my book reviews, primarily the ones done for my grad school classes. I do warn readers with a big, "SPOILER!" announcement on the review.

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Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Think Stew--Not Soup--for your Story

I have a confession to make.
I really don’t like soup. It’s
okay as an appetizer, if you are fancy enough at your house to actually serve
your meals in courses. I’m lucky to get
one thing made for dinner, but when we eat out here in Germany, often you get a
little cup of soup and a little salad before the meal and that’s fine and
lovely. It’s delicious, for the ten bites it take to finish it. It whets your appetite. But you know what that little bowl of soup
does not do? It doesn't satisfy your
hunger.

Now, let’s be clear.
Some soups might as well be called stews and I’m not lambasting those. Pasta e fagioli, for example, is at its best
when it’s thick and rich, with so many noodles and chunky goodness of veggies
in there that you can stick a cracker in that sucker and it’ll stand up
straight. Chowders, chilis, stews: All good.
Of all the liquid-based dishes, those work wonderfully.

I’m talking about soups.
Thin, runny, often all one thing.
Like split pea soup. Why is that
ever a good idea?

Some stories are like that soup. They do one thing really, really well. They are super green and healthy perhaps.
Or maybe they are like chicken broth—nice and nourishing when you’re
sick, but without anything much in it. And
a little of that is fine. But if someone
puts a tureen the size of your head in front of you, filled to the brim with
split-pea soup, I think you might turn green yourself.

No, what is better is
STEW. Broth, yes. But also vegetables. Maybe bits of chicken if you’re not a
vegetarian. Beans. Some pasta swimming
around in there, too. Maybe even some crusty
bread to dip into it. A stew has all
sorts of things going on, offering a variety of flavors and textures to keep
you engaged with your meal, and full for hours afterward.

A good story does the same thing. It has strong characters, but also an enticing
plot. Some spice sprinkled in with
dialogue or perhaps luscious world-building.
The meat of the stew is something you can sink your teeth into and it
warms you on a cold day. And it’s the
kind of food that you happily remember the exact taste of even hours later,
when your belly is still gurgling happily from your meal.